The Golden Elk

He breathed deeply, exhaling his cigarette.

“ Hey Alex, I didn’t realize that you were here. Why the long face?” Bec asked. She had a pep in her step walking up to him with her curly long hair slightly bouncing off her shoulders. “You got something in your scope?” She asks squatting next to him, “It’s nothing, just waiting on this golden elk to pass through” His rifle is strongly gripped in his hands. As his finger is stead on the trigger, his chest goes stiff and tightens as he waits for his moment.

“ well check it out real quick,” she says throwing her arm into the air. Alex debates in his head whether it would be worth the risk or not to lose focus, he gives in to his friend’s intense invisible glare behind him. “ what is….that?”, “ I don’t know,  honestly so I just call it a wrist do-hickey”. He raises an eyebrow, then slowly begins to chuckle. Alex shakes his head in disbelief, and turns back, placing his eye once again on the scope.

The crosshairs are eyed on the roof of the Golden Elk as it finally and calmly walks into view. He pulls but the golden elk scatter leaving the bullet to only contact the dirt instead. “Damn,” he says in disbelief.  He drops his head as the Elk slowly turns away then a bright light explodes in front of them, forcing both of them to shield their eyes. “What the?” The gust of wind released caused him to further stick his weapon in the dirt, as tree bark pieces flew everywhere.

“ what the hell was that?” she said, with the aftermath of the wind coming to a halt.

“ Well, well, no need to think me, oh excuse me…” his roaring voice was clear before the dust thinned. His blonde hair bounced off his shoulders as he hopped his way off the dirt mount, the light intensifying his armor deep purple.  He made his way past the two, “What the hell! Douglas, that kill was mine.”, “ aye, if it was really your kill you would’ve taken the shot.” His armor chimed with the sun’s reflection, clanking together as he made his way down the hill.

Alex annoyed and frustrated, grips his pistol, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. “Now, now, Alex we want a repeat of 2 years ago” When he opened his blurry eyes, his focus came to Douglas pointing his pistol at him, aim already down sight steward?”, his eyes focused on the barrel, his hands shaking and eyes tense before Alex holsters his weapon, continuing down the pathway. “ Yeah, as I thought”.

He walks within range of the orb of light left behind by the Golden elk. Sticking out his hand, he draws it in and absorbs it. His skin glows bright, almost bronze in tone.

Alex turns around walking back into the forest, as he is passed by numerous soldiers, all wearing a purple armband, used to let others know who they work for. One of them stops mid-pass, and the number on his chest reads thirteen. “Alex?” he says lowering his weapon. Alex looks up, uninspired and shallow.

The soldier removed his helmet, and underneath was a man with a soft beard and cloudy grey eyes, his hair was raven dark, and cornrows short barely hanging off the back of his head. “ Bear?” he smiles in response, instantly doing away with his helmet and hugging Alex. His grip was tight and suffocating.

“ look at you?”, “ Me, look at you Bear?”

Their conversation was cut short by a roar in the distance,  a sound of deep sorrow, and the bellow of an alligator. Its appearance broke mountains and tree terrain alike. Alex stood there frozen in fear, as this creature towered over them easily standing several stories high. Bear grips his gun in raises it, triggering his helmet to spawn on. Its eyes light up, a the nose on the mask blows off steam. Alex looks at,  its design in awe. Bear didn’t get his name for nothing and now he was even modeling his armor after it. “ Alex, you ready?”

Bear activates his headset, “Douglas, you coming in?” Nothing but static. Before Bear could tell Alex, he was already looking at his backside. “ hey slow poke, keep up” bec shouted as she ran past him.

As they move in, they stand below a towering monster, its head touching the clouds. Skin looked of stone with veins of light

Alex snaps himself out of it? “ where is Douglas?” he shouts before charging in behind them.

Alex halts as he sees Douglas being flung into the air, his screams of help cut silent by a loud crunching sound. Something bounces off his head, making him look around for it. There it was shining bright, almost calling him.

As one of the tentacles of the creature comes swinging around, Hesitant steps back. The force of the wind that followed the swipe was breathtaking, almost lost his grip before finding his footing again. Bear leaps in as another tentacle swings at them, hitting Bear in his side. The creature sets its sights on him, noticing this small creature’s strength won’t let him go. Bear’s helmet is removed as he looks at Alex, “You going to attack it or just stare at me?” he shouts, Alex’s eyes glow green as he materializes a blue saber and charges in with zapping force, so intense it causes the earth the shudder and goosebumps on Bear’s neck.

“ wait, where did he go?” Bear asks, “Geez, Bear you missed a lot but I was his ability” Bec says “Yeah they finally came in a few years ago, I bet you he was waiting on this” Bear rolls his eyes before he starts to slip backwards the tentacle he was holding onto not sliced from the rest of the body. Bec laughs as she helps Bear up, he looks to the sky only to see Alex falling downward straight for the beast.

Still firmly holding onto the creature’s tentacle as it whines and struggles to break free. Bright green flashes mixed with sharp clinging from his weapon make the creature go into fight or flight, lashing out and targeting Alex with his remaining tentacles.

The rushing intense wind from thousands of feet in the air forcefully brings tears to Alex’s eyes. He instinctively dodges the first few tentacles trying to kill him before sliding down them, bouncing from one tentacle to the next till he reaches the eye of the creature, both hands on his sword as he goes for the piercing killing blow.

He stops, confused he comes eyes to eye with the creature “ Most interesting, you’re not like most of your kind.”, terror befalls Alex “He can talk? Impossible” The beast takes a deep breath putting him close to its nose “ I can smell your disparate, delicious” Alex’s eyes turn green with the intense speed blowing up the tentacle that was holding him in place, the creature then begins to cry out in pain. Its eye begins to bleed, letting out a ferocious roar breaking the trees and rocks around him.

Alex stands in between Bear and Bec, his pistol drawn. He grips it with both hands and it begins to glow green too, Electricity starts sparking off. As he speezes the trigger the force it lets off pushes him back causing Bear and Bec to cover their faces. It makes an impact, the crack of thunder can be heard before the creature erupts into a large explosion, blood and guts splatter everywhere.

The roar fell into the void of non-existence, the only thing left behind were the remains of tentacles and the lower stem of the creature. Bear stares on in awe, analyzing the destruction Alex had done “That’s…That’s some insane enhancements you’ve put on that gun”. Alex just laughs at the response, “ I don’t know if I would say insane it’s only at a rune one”.

Bear gasps in disbelief, “No way. The radius of…”, “Yeah, yeah I know. Ever since my wizard puberty kicked in.” Bear continues to stare with a blank expression before turning his attention to the rubble. “Forget about me, you gonna call this in?”, “ No…” he says With a sigh causing Alex to raise his eyebrow “I was trying to give you guys a head start”, “huh”, and “ New rules from the top down…anyone in Corpo-controlled zones is a free game for execution”.

Bec and Alex share a glace before the thundering clap of a single shot can be heard. Alex glances downward but nothing, when he turns to Bec the slow and creeping print of red begins to grow on her shirt. Alex tries to move but Bear already draw has him in sight “Ah, might want to get going Alex before I have to report two casualties instead of one”.

He grips his pistol in the holster, before being consumed by a shadow bypass overhead. It must’ve been the backup crew he thought.

“ that leaves a little less than 5 minutes,” he said under his breath. “ you know I’m not leaving Bec!” he shouted out from across the way. Bear’s gun still stays aimed, he hasn’t said a word since he shot Bec. Alex slowly  Maneuvering his pistol until it matches Bear’s.

Alex takes a glimpse at Bec, on one knee, struggling to breathe.

His pistol glows a vibrant purple before coating itself in a flame at the barrel. “well like I said earlier Bear, nice seeing you again”

As the doors to the Hoover ship land and let out the backup squad, the heavy door sound echoes as it slams into the ground below.

“ Sir, we just touched down in encampment 81-02 no signs of squad 004 yet”, “Ugh, touch back into base when someone can tell me what the hell is going on? And where is Douglas?”, “ On it sir, over and out”. The commanding officer waves his hand for the other soldiers to follow.

As they exit, in the distance a cluster of sharp electric roars are heard. “ what the hell was that?” one of the soldiers asks, “ I don’t know but from the looks of this forest it’s catastrophic”.